Speaking recently on the Football Writers Podcast, Art de Roche says he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if Jack Grealish stays at Aston Villa this summer.
Following a highly impressive season for Villa, in which he scored eight goals and provided six assists over 36 Premier League appearances, Grealish has once again been the subject of much transfer speculation this summer.
In recent weeks, Manchester United have been the most prominent club reported to have an interest in the 24-year-old, with the Daily Mail claiming last week that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side had ‘held talks’ with Villa for the attacking midfielder, for whom the Birmingham-based club are demanding an £80 million fee.
However, it appears that Villa’s survival has poured cold water over their potential move for Grealish, while it does not look as though the Villa man has a great deal of alternative suitors.
De Roche, speaking on the Football Writers Podcast, suggested that he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if the £36 million-rated Grealish remains at Villa beyond the end of the summer transfer window.
He said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if he stays at Aston Villa, just the way he’s conducted himself over the summer, it seems he’s very happy there. I think the fact they stayed in the Premier League will obviously play a massive deal in that.
“In regards to his [England] call-up and everything surrounding that, personally – and I think this is something that is probably echoed across English football fans – I think the call-up’s probably been coming for a while. Everyone’s just been waiting for the moment when it was announced he’d be an England player. I’m really excited to see what he can do on the international level.
“Of course, people may question whether it’s right to have, like you say, with [Conor] Coady as a [Wolves] player, people may put their noses up as he’s ‘just an Aston Villa player’, but I think that shouldn’t really make a difference.
“If you look at the way he played last season, he was arguably one of the most influential midfielders in the Premier League, despite having to fight relegation, and I think, had Gareth Southgate not included him, it would have been a mistake. Not just because of what fans may say, but in terms of the fact that he has proven that he’s a player that can influence whatever team he’s in, even if they’re massive underdogs, so I’m looking forward to seeing him play for England.”
Do you think Jack Grealish will still be Villa player next season?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
On the final day of last season, Grealish scored the goal in a 1-1 draw at West Ham United that all but secured Aston Villa’s survival in the Premier League, which, incidentally, as De Roche points out, looks like it could have had a massive impact on the 24-year-old’s future.
It is evident that, should Villa have gone down, Grealish – who was, according to WhoScored, the 23rd-best player out of the entirety of the Premier League last season – is far too good a footballer for the Championship, and would have rightly warranted a move to a top-flight side.
In addition to this, it would appear unlikely that, were Villa to be a Championship side rather than a top-flight one this summer, they would be able to demand a fee as high as the £80 million they are reported to be looking for to part with Grealish.
However, Grealish did score the goal against West Ham, and Villa are a Premier League team, and whether or not the attacking midfielder is happy to stay at the club, we have to agree that, at present, it does indeed look likely he will still be a Villan next year.